Fresh and Easy Flat Bread Pizza

 

 

California is an agricultural hub and particulary here on the Central Coast, we are really lucky to have access to fresh, local produce. For me, a short drive down to Moss Landing once a week takes us through fields of fresh brussels sprouts and artichokes, along the foggy coastline and ends at one of my favorite produce markets.

 

Here you can also view the marina, go kayaking, shop for shells or visit excellent restaurants.

 

But my purpose in making the trip each week is to get amazing, seasonal, local produce at an unbelievable bargain.

 

This week, I picked up peppers, onions, mushrooms and squash. I admit, it's been a challenge to switch to buying seasonal vegetables, as I have to then find a recipe to use them in, rather than shopping to complete my planned recipe. But I'm adapting.

 

This week's culinary creation came via inspiration from a recipe I saw in Sunset magazine. I'm blogging from memory of something I saw while sitting in the dentist's office (probably trying to distract myself  from the impending procedure. I hate dental work, don't you?)

 

Fresh, thinly sliced veggies are layered on to a large lavash bread, then baked at high heat for a short amount of time. I admit I was skeptical at first that the lavash would hold up, instead expecting a soggy mess. But it did hold up. I recommend slicing your veggies very thinly to avoid too much liquid escaping and ruining your meal.

 

 

 

The result is a very fresh pizza, with vegetables that are barely cooked but very delicious. The crust is very crisp and would make an excellent appetizer, although we ate them as a meal. If you are adverse to nearly-raw onion, I would omit them.

 

Ingredients:

 

1 lavash or other flat bread per person

1 yellow squash or green zucchini, thinly sliced

1 bell pepper, sliced

1/2 onion, sliced into half moons

1 clove garlic, chopped

2 tbsp olive oil

3 mushrooms, sliced

1/4 cup of herbed goat cheese, crumbled

1/4 cup good-quality grated parmesan cheese

salt and pepper to taste.

chopped tomatoes and arugula for garnish

 

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Place your lavash bread on an inverted cookie sheet and brush with oil. Sprinkle garlic over the top and layer the squash, pepper, mushrooms and onion over it. Crumble the goat cheese evenly, and top with parmesan. Bake for 5 minutes. Remove from the oven, slide onto a cutting board and top with chopped tomatoes and arugula. Salt and pepper to taste.

 

I hope you enjoy them, we have made them three days in a row because they are that delicious and easy!



Green Goddess Edamame Chili

Treat yourself to a big bowl of green goodness! I was a little worried this recipe would be too spicy for my littles, but it came out quite mild.

Ingredients:

1 jar salsa verde (we were lucky to have some homemade in the freezer)
1/4 cup chopped green onions
3 cloves of garlic, chopped
2 pasilla peppers, chopped
1 tbsp. of fresh minced ginger
5 stalks of celery, chopped
2 bags of shelled edamame
3 cups of vegetable broth
salt to taste
2 large handfuls of fresh spinach
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
avocado and lime, for garnish

Saute the green onion, garlic, celery, ginger and peppers until soft, about 3 minutes.  Add in broth and salsa verde and simmer for about 10 minutes. Remove from heat, stir in spinach and cilantro until wilted. Spoon chili over cooked brown rice. Top with avocado and a squeeze of lime.

Vegan Pumpkin Enchiladas

Born of the wonderful bounty of pumpkin puree I had in my freezer, these pumpkin enchiladas had all my meat-loving friends and family *almost* in tears. Hands-down the best enchiladas I've made, ever. Don't be put-off by the strange ingredients, they're completely, freakin' awesome.

Pumpkin Enchiladas

Sauce:

2 cups unseasoned pumpkin puree, fresh or canned
1 cup water
1 cup veggie broth
2 tsp. salt
2 tsp. chili powder
2 tsp. cumin
1/4 tsp pepper
1 seeded jalepeno
3 cloves of garlic
handful of fresh cilantro

Puree all ingredients in the blender until smooth.

For the filling

4 red potatoes, diced
1 small onion, diced
1 cup green beans, ends cut off and chopped
5 button mushrooms, sliced
1/2 each, orange and red bell pepper, chopped
1 cup corn kernels (frozen works nicely)

Saute the potatoes 5 minutes in olive oil, stirring occasionally. Add in onion and mushrooms, cook another 3 minutes. Add in bell pepper and corn, continue to cook for another 3 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool slightly.

Cover the bottom of a 9 X 13 pan with pumpkin sauce. Set aside.

Meanwhile, heat corn tortillas (the recipe makes about a dozen or so) to prevent cracking while handling ( I do this over my gas burner for a few seconds).

Fill each torilla with a small amount of filling and roll. Place seam-side-down in the pan and continue to roll tortillas until the pan is filled. Cover with a bit more sauce (not too much or it will all be soggy) and bake at 375 degrees for 25 minutes.

Top with salsa, vegan sour cream and fresh sliced green onions.

I served ours with my "Santa Monica Pilaf" that used a mix of couscous, lentils, rice and quinoa
that was cooked with a bit of garlic and olive oil and topped with cilantro. I'll post that recipe at a later date!